Some Things Just Don't Change
by obliviousworlds
Summary: Sick!Dean and a bit of sick! and cranky!Sam and John added to the mix. Dean gets sick and is desperately trying to care for Sam while his dad is just trying to take care of him. Set sometime in season 1. oneshot!


"Why are you such a friggen jerk?"

"Why are you such a pain in my ass?"

This is how John Winchester's night is coming to an end. He'd been lucky, when he took the boys with him to do a simple salt and burn in a cemetary in the middle of nowheresville Kentucky, he had been met with pure and utter peaceful silence from his two boys.

Truth be told he knew that the both of them were sick. Sam sporting a huge headache and Dean with a bad ear infection.

How he knew? Well, Sam started bitching at Dean once they got to the cemetary about absolutely nothing, and kept rubbing his temples and whimpering every once in a while.

Dean? John knows from experience with ear infections, and Dean has all the symptoms. His cheeks are flushed and he keeps tugging on his right ear and sniffing hard.

How the two of them thought they could get past John Winchester, he'll never know. He's a parent, and he knows when they're sick. It's practically in his blood for god's sakes.

"Boys!" John yells and places his hands on their chests when he see's the fight physical fight about to break out. "Enough! Get in the car, I'm finding a place to hole up in for the night."

Sam gives Dean a glare before stalking off to the car. Dean just swallows hard and tugs at his ear again before following.

John doesn't even know what Sam's bitching about. He hadn't heard Dean say a word behind him.

They're driving for about an hour when Dean stars tugging at his ear more often and Sam is threatening to pull his own hair out.

Luckily, a motel comes into sight up the road.

"Stay here. I'm gonna go and get us a room." John tells his boys before getting out of the car and walking inside to check in.

"Can I help you?" A young blonde haired woman, Kelly according to her name tag, asks and smiles warmly at him.

"Yes I need a room with two queens please." He says and smiles back at her and hands over his fake credit card of the month.

"Awful late to be out isn't it?" She asks and swipes his card.

"Yeah. My boys are sick though." He tells her and gestures out to the car with a hand.

"Oh. I hope they feel better. Here's your room key." She says and slides the key over.

"Thanks."

When John gets back in the car, Dean is no longer in the front seat. He glances behind him and sees that he's sitting with Sam and is holding a wad of tissues up to his nose.

"Sam's nose is bleeding." Dean says softly and sniffs.

"Yeah. I figured it would." John says and drives the car over to where their room is.

When he opens the door he's relieved to find that the room is etleast somewhat decent. There's no way he'd let his boys sleep in anything dirty tonight.

Sam's already told Dean to fuck off and is pressing the tissues to his nose on his own. Dean's to tired to argue about it so he just follows in behind his dad.

"Dean, what in the hell are you doing?" John asks as he watches Dean steal a pillow off one of the beds and throw it on the floor.

"Going to sleep." Dean answers and kicks off his boots and once again, pulling at his ear.

John shakes his head and sighs. He didn't think Dean was gonna be _this _stubborn.

"Your not sleeping on the floor. Get up." He shakes his head again when Dean makes no move to get up off the filthy floor.

This was gonna be a long night.

"Dean, now!" John orders and grabs his oldest by the arm and pulls him up to his feet, making Dean slap him away.

"Sam needs the bed. He's got a headache!" Dean barks and shoots a glare up at his father, something he usually would never do. He's the good son that always does as he's told except in situations like tonight.

Oh god it was gonna be a long night.

Before John can react to what Dean's saying, Sam's stumbling in the room, bitching and moaning like never before. Dean sends his dad a look that so reads _I told you so._

Some things just don't change.

"Both of you, in bed, _now_." John says and points to the bed farthest from the door. "Dean your not sleeping on the floor and that's final. You and Sam can share a bed, you've done it before."

"Yeah, before Sam decided to sprout up to six feet." Dean mumbles, making Sam glare at him, and he meant it in the nicest way possible, because, yeah, the boys are a bit to old to be sharing a bed, but they could certainly do this for one night, right?

"Just lay down." John practically pleads. It's been a long night and all he wants to do is collapse in his own bed and sleep. But he's gotta take care of his boys first. He doesn't know what to do with Sam, considering Tylenol isn't fucking working and they don't have anything stronger for him.

"Did your nose stop bleeding?" Dean asks when the two of them crawl into bed and handing him three tylenol capsules. He's already way ahead of it.

"Yes ." Sam groans and dry swallows the pills, then puts his face back in his pillow.

"Aw come here Sammy, you know I hate to see you in pain." Dean says and pulls his little brother close, practically snuggling him.

That's a major red flag in the No chick flick moment Dean Winchester handbook.

"Jesus Dean!" Sam gasps and looks up at him. "Your burning up!"

John sets his gaze on his oldest and waits for an answer, or some kind of reaction. It's not like he really needs one, he knows Dean's sick.

Dean just twists his mouth to the side and shakes his head.

"Your sick, and I've been a dick to you. 'm sorry." Sam says, face full of guilt, because man, he really should have seen it.

"You've gotta headache. It's alright." Dean tells him and throws an arm back over him in a protective hold.

John watches his son's in complete awe. Dean's taken every insult Sam's thrown at him tonight without a harsh come back because he _knew _how Sam was feeling even though he was feeling sick himself.

Some things just don't change.

John stands up and clears his throat. "Come on Ace, let's get you checked out. You've been pulling at your ear a lot." He says, and Sam gives his brother another guilty look.

Dean shakes his head at Sam. "In a minute." He tells his father, and cards his fingers through Sam's hair.

"Your not getting out of this, Dean. So you might as well just -"

"I said in a minute!" Dean says and sends a glare his way. John doesn't protest when he finally realizes what he's doing. He's practically lulling Sam off to sleep.

Some things just don't change.

Sam's eyes flutter close after a few minutes and his breathing evens out, making Dean sigh of relief. A passed out Sam was better than an awake Sam in pain. That's for sure.

John nods to himself and sighs before getting the first aid kit and sitting down on the bed next to where Dean's laying. "Ear infection?" He asks and gets out a bottle of ear drops. He's seen enough of those from when his boys were little and managed to pick them up everywhere they went.

"I'm not a kid." Dean says and crosses his arms, but then un crosses them to pull at his ear for about the millionth time that night.

"Your _my _kid." John says and smirks before tilting his oldest's head to the side and putting a few drops in his ear, laughing a bit when Dean shudders from the cold.

"You cold?" John asks and places a hand on his forehead. It's warm but not dangerous, and yeah, he's seen a few of those fevers as well.

Dean shrugs. "Sam'll keep me warm." He answers and shoots his dad a glare when he tries not to laugh.

"Perks of sharing a bed. See?"

"Oh shut up dad."

"Take a few of these, and go to sleep." John shoves a few tylenol into Dean's hand, and watches as he dry swallows them like Sam did.

"Dad, can you go get a wet washcloth?"

"Why?"

"Just do it."

John rolls his eyes but does as he's told. Maybe then he can actually get some sleep for a little while.

"Here." He says when he emerges from the bathroom and tosses the wet cloth over. Again, he watches in awe as Dean lays the cloth over Sam's forehead and snuggles back down into the pillow.

"Thanks dad." He mumbles and puts an arm around his little brother again.

Some things just don't change.

"Night Ace." John says and toes off his own shoes, but Dean's already out of it. The room filled with the sounds of his children breathing. It's probably the nicest sound he's ever heard.

He checks the line of salt he layed in front of the door earlier and does the same with the window. Satisfied enough he can go to sleep and not have to worry about anything coming in, he tucks his boys in before climbing into his own bed and shoots another glance over to his boys before letting his own eyes close. Sam snuggled up against Dean's side and Dean with a protective hold on his little brother, willing to protect him from anything, even when they're both asleep.

Yeah, some things just don't change, and that suits John Winchester just fine.

* * *

_Fin :) _


End file.
